"It worked!"
In the luxurious social club party, Ye Tian suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was, seemingly, filled with crimson streaks of light that gradually faded away as he muttered:
"It's not a simple possession but an awakening of past-life memories through reincarnation? Good, this will only make it more manageable to blend into this world, understanding the hustle and bustle of life, accomplishing my pursuit of enlightenment."
Crack!
The outside world became a stage for a series of thunderclaps. The thunderous applause of lightning painted an otherwise clear sky, giving birth to a terrifying spectacle that had the pedestrians stop in awe.
"You want to punish me? I have cast aside my abilities just to seek the enlightenment of the mortal world in your land. Are you sure you want to break the net with the fishes?" Ye Tian lowered his voice as a flicker of red shimmered in his eyes.
The lightning in the sky seemed to concede, slowly fading away as Ye Tian let out a sigh of relief.
That was risky. Although he dispersed his powers to enter this world and sworn not to wreak havoc upon its inhabitants, there's no guarantee that the natural order wouldn't strike him, a trespasser, with a punishment.
"Daddy, daddy, what's wrong?" This sudden crisp and innocent voice that reached Ye Tian's ears awakened something within him and stirred ripples of an unfamiliar sensation.
The girl of only three or four years old, with her delicate and fair skin, sculpted facial features, and sparkling eyes, looked like a precious gem. Most importantly, a gut feeling told Ye Tian that this girl was his target to understanding the mortal life.
"I didn't expect that I, Demon Ancestor Luo Hui, would also have a daughter. This feeling...is actually quite pleasant."
Absorbed in the unfamiliar sensations he had never experienced throughout countless eons, Ye Tian couldn't help but murmur.
His heart felt warm and sweet. He yearned to hold this girl called Ye Zi Xie in his arms. It seemed like he would do anything for her.
This feeling was truly strange to Ye Tian, for he had never experienced it before, even though he was once a Demon Ancestor living through endless ages.
"Daddy, what's wrong with you? Don't scare Xi Xi, okay?" Seeing that Ye Tian remained silent, Xi Xi couldn't help but anxiously tug at her father's hand.
"What should I do now?"
Ye Tian only realized at this moment that it was his brooding look that had frightened the little girl, and seeing Xixi's nervousness, he panicked.
The distinguished Demon Ancestor, frighteningly powerful, who had even defeated Hongjun thrice and slaughtered countless clans. When had he ever had to soothe a child? Let alone one child, his only apprentice, Minghe, was also trembling in fear in his presence, barely daring to breathe.
What should I do?
Sweat was breaking out on Ye Tian's forehead as he frantically searched his memory.
When his memories awakened, the vast memories of the Demon Ancestor instantly made his mere twenty years of previous memories seem insignificant. He had to recall everything now.
It was only at this moment that he realized that the pre-awakening him wasn't that much better in this area.
The pre-awakening Ye Tian was a discarded son of a minor family branch of Ye's in Jing City. Xixi's birth was a complete surprise, and not until recently, when Xixi's mother brought Xixi to him, did he realize that he had a daughter.
As one could imagine, the pre-awakening Ye Tian was also an idiot when it came to childcare, otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Xixi to a party to scrounge food.
Having given up on searching his memories for a solution, Ye Tian could only put on a somewhat benign smile and spoke in a gentle voice:
"Xixi, don't be afraid, daddy is alright."
Hearing Ye Tian's words, Xixi immediately relaxed and giggled:
"Daddy, your smile looks so terrible, it's really terrible!"
Ye Tian's face froze for a moment, Xixi must have found his smile too stiff.
Ye Tian was also helpless! Who knew how to make a smile look benign? He was just afraid that his standard villainous smile from his previous life would frighten Xixi.
"Tsk tsk, Ye Tian, it looks like even your own daughter can't stand you anymore. After being kicked out of your clan, you shamelessly turn up at this banquet. Do you still think you're the man you were before?" Ye Tian was about to look up what a standard father-daughter smile looked like when a mocking voice unexpectedly echoed next to his ear.
Turning his head, he saw a man and a woman holding wine glasses strolling over. The one speaking in that peculiar, derisive tone was the woman.
Her name was Liu Yao. Liu Yao and the original owner of the body, Ye Tian, used to be boyfriend and girlfriend in school. When Ye Tian was expelled from his clan, Liu Yao decisively dumped him and started hanging out with Zhang Tao by her side.
There was nothing wrong with that; in this society, she seemingly wasn't in the wrong for looking out for herself. At most, she was a bit of a gold digger.
However, who would have thought that in order to prove to Zhang Tao that she truly no longer had anything to do with Ye Tian, every time Liu Yao saw him, she couldn't help but mock and ridicule him, especially when Zhang Tao was present. She practically badmouthed Ye Tian to nothingness to prove her innocence in front of Zhang Tao.
The memory flashed through Ye Tian's mind, yet his heart remained unruffled; he completely ignored Liu Yao. Because of the strong fixation he retained before waking up in this body, Ye Tian accepted his feelings for Xi Xi to make up for his lack of a moral compass. But at his core, he was still that ancient demonic ancestor. How could he care about an insignificant insect, making a fuss?
Ye Tian didn't care, but the sensitive Xi Xi noticed Liu Yao's malice. Wrinkling her little nose, she muttered her dissatisfaction: "Bad woman!"
"Who’s that brat calling names!"
Liu Yao viciously glared at Xi Xi, scaring the child into grabbing onto Ye Tian.
Ye Tian, originally about to leave with Xi Xi in his arms, stopped in his tracks. He bent down to whisper to Xi Xi:
"Xi Xi, shall Dad play a game with you? Close your eyes and no matter what you hear, don't open them until we're back home. If you can manage that, Dad will grant you one wish."
"Okay! Okay! I want ice cream, a double scoop!" Xi Xi's attention was immediately drawn to her father's words. Seeing him nod in agreement, she gladly closed her eyes.
"What are you staring at me for? Am I wrong? If you've been ejected from the family, then don’t have the face to show up here!" Seeing Ye Tian looking her way, Liu Yao was somewhat panicked and instinctively retorted.
"I couldn’t be bothered with insignificant bugs like you, but you had no right to insult Xi Xi!"
With that, Ye Tian raised his hand and, in front of the astonished crowd, slapped Liu Yao across the face.
Smack!
A crisp slap echoed, rapidly reddening Liu Yao’s face. Instantly, the surrounding crowd turned their attention this way.
"You, how dare you hit me! Have you lost your mind! What gives you the right to slap me?" Liu Yao clutched her swollen cheek, her face a mad, hideous grimace as she addressed Zhang Tao. "Mr. Tao, I am your woman. Would you just stand by and watch him hit me?"
Zhang Tao was taken aback by Ye Tian's sudden move, but upon hearing Liu Yao's words, he furrowed his brow and addressed Ye Tian. "Ye Tian, oh Ye Tian, you've really sunk low, even daring to raise your hand at a woman. Liu Yao is, after all, currently my woman. Your actions are a bit over the top, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
"Woman?" Ye Tian was slightly stunned for a moment, as though thinking seriously. He shook his head and stated flatly: "Why bother to tell the difference between male and female ants? If I hadn't just made a pledge, I would have squashed her without a second thought!"
